PROFESSIONALS
MARK S. TAFFET
CEO & FOUNDER
For over thirty years Mark S. Taffet has assisted clients and acted as a principal in a variety of corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, corporate sales, joint ventures and private debt and equity placements.
As founder and Chief Executive Officer of MAST Advisors, Inc., Mark and his colleagues offer expert and focused M&A and strategic advisory services to middle-market companies seeking to maximize value and growth. MAST’s unique approach to client service is based on the understanding that there’s a lot of hard work and intelligence to gather before any company can “do a deal.”
Prior to founding MAST Advisors, Inc., Mark worked in investment banking for leading financial institutions including Shearson, Oppenheimer, KPMG and Fieldstone. During that time, he worked with global companies focused on cross border M&A and capital raising, with a strong emphasis on transactions between the US, Europe and Latin America.
Mark was a founder and president of Baymark Capital, an investment bank funded by and built as a strategic partner with KPMG.
Mark’s has hands on experience as an operating executive having served as COO of an institutional food service provider with more than 300 employees.
His work advising chief executives and business leaders led him to become a Vistage Chair in 2012. He currently chairs a group of high performing business leaders from a wide range of industries. Mark is on the Board of d2i, a healthcare software as service informatics and analytics company focused on emergency departments, hospitalists, and urgent care centers. He is also on the Board of Advisors of Alene Candles, a leading contract manufacturer of high-quality candles, and is the Chairman of the Advisory Board of Times Review Media Group.
Mark is a frequent speaker to CEO groups on a variety of topics including Maximizing Business Value, Strategic Acquisitions and Strategic Operating Plans. He is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and Fordham University Law School and is a member of the NY State Bar. When Mark is not in the office, you can find him hiking in the mountains, doing yoga or cooking up some amazing meals.
ALLEN KOHAN
Managing Director
Allen Kohan brings thirty years of corporate finance, M&A and strategic planning experience to MAST Advisors.
Prior to joining MAST, Allen served as Director of Corporate Development for BASF Corporation (formerly Engelhard Corporation) where he led numerous acquisitions with an aggregate value of more than $1 billion, and $700 million in revenue as well as many divestitures, joint ventures and corporate sales. He served as lead negotiator for transactions in 14 countries from Europe to Latin America and Asia Pacific region.
Allen previously worked with Young & Partners, an international investment bank focused on the chemicals industry and Business Development Asia, an international investment bank specializing in Asian cross-border transactions.
Allen holds a BS degree in chemical engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University, a Masters Degree from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. He previously served as Vice President of the Association for Corporate Growth Global and Executive Vice President of the ACG New Jersey chapter.
TERRY A. BROWN
Senior Advisor, Industrial Market and Competitive Intelligence
Terry Brown has more than twenty-five years experience in corporate marketing, market analysis, strategic planning and consulting. His expertise in market research and analysis, and competitive intelligence provides MAST’s clients with critical data, information and insight while developing goals and strategies to achieve them. Mr. Brown also has experience in intellectual property valuations, manufacturing cost analysis, technology assessments and synergy analysis.
In addition to his affiliation with MAST Advisors, Terry is the Principal of TABrown and Associates, an industrial market and competitive intelligence firm. Previously, he held senior marketing and technical position for several Fortune 100 chemical companies.
Terry received his BA in Chemistry form the University of Arkansas and holds an MBA from California Coast University.
HOWARD E. GOLDSTEIN
Senior Advisor, Consumer Products, Retail & Distribution
Howard has over thirty years of experience working with growth companies and acting as a principal investor in the retail and distribution industries. His activities include identifying, analyzing, negotiation, structuring, managing and ultimately selling growth companies. Among the areas where Howard has significant experience are food, large format and specialty retailing, building products and marketing.
Howard has worked with Starbucks Coffee, Jamba Juice, Bruegger’s Bagels, Cosi, Catalina Marketing, CompUSA, Gadzooks, Gaiam Inc., White House/Black Market and Southern Showcase Housing.
In addition to his work with MAST Advisors, Howard is a Partner and Co-Founder of Vedanta Capital, a diversified venture capital firm. Prior to founding Vedanta, Howard spent 22 years as a General Partner at INVESCO Private Capital, a global private equity group with over $2 billion in managed assets.
Howard holds a BA from Clark University and a JD from Brooklyn Law School. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association and United States District Courts of the Southern and Eastern Districts.
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